When visiting a theme park, such as Disney and Universal, for example, it is common for park visitors to be approached by a theme park photographer to have their picture taken as a souvenir that can later be retrieved at a designated area. For each park visitor and their group having their picture taken, a printed ticket with a number corresponding to their particular picture is given to them by the theme park photographer.
The number on the printed ticket typically corresponds to a bar code that is associated with the picture or pictures taken by the theme park photographer of the park visitor and their group. A different bar code is used for each park visitor and their group having their picture taken.
To associate the bar codes with the pictures being taken, a personal digital assistant (FDA) is used. Each theme park photographer has a PDA coupled to their camera via an interface cord. The theme park photographer uses the PDA to first read or scan a bar code. The bar code is usually taken from a tablet of bar codes carried by the theme park photographer. After the pictures of a park visitor and their group have been taken, they are then transferred to the PDA. The PDA includes software that associates the bar code with the corresponding pictures taken of the park visitor. This process is repeated for each group of park visitors having their picture taken.
The theme park photographer later transfers the stored pictures and corresponding bar codes in the FDA to a photography database. Prior to leaving the theme park, the park visitor can present their printed ticket at a photography gift shop. The photography database is searched using the number on the printed ticket which corresponds to the bar code used to identify their pictures.
There are a number of drawbacks of using a PDA. If there is a break or disconnect in the interface cord, pictures cannot be downloaded from the camera to the PDA. The operating system of the PDA is not always compatible with the different camera manufacturers. Moreover, each PDA can cost several thousands of dollars.